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Imagine what it would be like if police officers would be allowed on the street without first receiving extensive training in their local, state or federal law enforcement academy. We would think this to be outrageous and would hear the outcry of the citizenry. Why then wouldn’t we expect the same of our animal services officers who represent animals and protect citizens in the communities they serve?

In most, if not all police departments, an officer must successfully complete comprehensive law enforcement training that is consistent from recruit to recruit before being allowed to operate on the street. Have you ever wondered what animal services officers are schooled in before they’re released to the street? It is more a question of variance than one of any real constant answer even if the animal services division in a community is located within the local law enforcement entity.

I got a great article I wanted to share with you from my friend, Steve Dickstein, a writer for the examiner. This is such an important topic, which can save the lives of so many animals.

Recently, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) released a groundbreaking research study that “. . . stresses the critical role that animal services and animal cruelty investigations play in communities nationwide while pointing out the obstacles that law enforcement professionals face in responding to animal abuse.” The question is how can animal services and law enforcement officials fulfill this role without targeted basic, specialty and continuing training that will allow them to appropriately react to incidents involving the safety and well-being of animals and the communities they serve.

According to Dr. Randall Lockwood, Senior Vice President of the ASPCA’s Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects, the impetus for a recent study entitled “Professional and Public Perspectives on Animal Cruelty” was to try and get a sense of how the ASPCA could outreach to the public and law enforcement on animal cruelty. The goal is to help them take animal cruelty more seriously.

The research study was conducted primarily in three phases, as follows:

Qualitative – – utilized law enforcement focus groups in New York, Dallas and San Diego. There were more than 30 police officers and several animal control officers included;

Quantitative – – consisted of two 15-minute online surveys targeting the general population and law enforcement officers throughout the country; and

Media Analysis – – gathered animal cruelty coverage visualized in print and online media outlets during a finite period. More than 175,000 news stories were gathered of which 9,552 animal cruelty stories (excluding wildlife) were deemed qualified and included as part of the analysis.

Pup with Police Dad

Dr. Lockwood emphasized the high level of dog ownership (78%) amongst law enforcement personnel and pointed out how that allows them to relate to the impact of animal cruelty on both the animal and law enforcement. Nonetheless, they still rank animal cruelty issues below crimes such as “. . . violence against a minor, domestic and family violence, assault against another person, drug-related crimes and property theft in terms of importance. However, animal cruelty ranks above white-collar crime and traffic violations.”

The report, in talking about obstacles in dealing with animal cruelty cases, states that law enforcement officers were “. . . being asked to do more with less. For officers it comes back to the issue of humans versus animals, and with limited time and resources, humans become their priority.”

Said Dr. Lockwood, “These findings validate what we have long assumed—that there is a major need for training for officers charged with enforcing animal cruelty laws and investigating cruelty cases. The ASPCA is unique in that we offer staff with specialized knowledge on this topic and have developed partnerships with shelters to help facilitate temporary housing for animals seized in such cases. We support local agencies across the U.S. with law enforcement training programs and other resources.”

Starved Dog

The ASPCA training, in conjunction with the United States Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, includes “. . . an in-depth, free on-line course on combating dogfighting and is developing a ‘dogfighting tool kit’ for law enforcement and animal welfare professionals.”

It is important to understand the multi-faceted world that animal related incidents penetrate in terms of response. The line between criminal and civil citation action is often misunderstood by the public at large with regard to animal concerns. This is further complicated by the way in which jurisdictions approach the investigation of animal complaints; sometimes handled by personnel within a government law enforcement agency, an independent government agency, contracted to a local non-profit humane entity or a combination thereof. It is often not as simple as dialing 911 for help. You should become familiar with the set up wherever you live and the reporting agency to contact should you need animal related services.

For example, under Florida Statute 828.27(1)(b), “‘Animal control officer’ means any person employed or appointed by a county or municipality who is authorized to investigate, on public or private property, civil infractions relating to animal control or cruelty and to issue citations as provided in this section. An animal control officer is not authorized to bear arms or make arrests; however, such officer may carry a device to chemically subdue and tranquilize an animal, provided that such officer has successfully completed a minimum of 16 hours of training in marksmanship, equipment handling, safety and animal care, and can demonstrate proficiency in chemical immobilization of animals in accordance with guidelines prescribed in the Chemical Immobilization Operational Guide of the American Humane Association.”

The Florida Animal Control Association (FACA) believes in “. . . an initial mandatory certification program, special certification training, and ongoing certification training for animal control and protection officers. An initial mandatory certification program for county animal control officers became effective on January 1, 1990, and requires animal control officers to complete a minimum 40 hour training curriculum approved by FACA before they can issue citations, as outlined by FL Statutes, 828.27. This certification program should impart both the knowledge and the skills needed to perform the job in a professional manner.”

OCAS officers possess varied educational backgrounds ranging from high school graduates to those on staff with college degrees.

When asked what importance their agency places on training and development of staff, OCAS responded that:

Animal Services places a high priority on providing ongoing training to officers to help enhance and professionalize their position. In addition, non-officer staff are encouraged to attend industry, technology or other specialty conferences when held locally. Within the last year, staff have attended conferences including the Florida Veterinary Medical Conference, Chameleon (in-house database) Conference, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) workshops, and domestic violence response training.

Recently we partnered with the HSUS to host an Illegal Animal Fighting Investigations Workshop, which was attended by local law enforcement and animal welfare organizations.

And yet, in other local communities across the country, so-called training may be nothing more than riding around with different animal control officers for a number of weeks without the benefit of any formal and dedicated training curriculum in place. If you’re a service contracted to government, depending on how the contract language is written, formal training may go almost unnoticed with some form of on the job training passing as the standard.

The point is training for animal services officers or those charged with responding to animal related concerns is all over the map. It is often inconsistent, may be even non-existent and in the words of Dr. Lockwood “quite spotty.” That is in the eyes of this column a failing of many local governments to adequately train responders to protect both animals and their human counterparts in the communities they serve.

Dr. Lockwood feels that funding is a big obstacle to obtaining appropriate training and notes that animal control is often the first thing to be cut when there are municipal budget woes. Whether located within a law enforcement agency, independent or a contracted service, he further believes that leadership is needed to take the training issue for animal responders seriously.

OCAS provides training for their officers through the Animal Services Trust Fund. According to Kathleen Kennedy, OCAS Program Coordinator for Marketing & Public Relations, “The trust fund is comprised of public donations and surcharges from citations. The surcharge line item is used for officer training. Usage of the other donations is approved by our Advisory Board and County Administration.” The current fiscal year budget for officer training is $8,500.

Said Dr. Lockwood, “Animal services officers are a vital part of the crime fighting and violence prevention team in a community.” Unfortunately they are still often perceived at the dog catcher level instead of animal care and control professionals. He believes they need respect and more recognition for the role animal services plays in the community.

Furthermore, Dr. Lockwood maintains animal services is part of the broader community response and believes in the notion of true community oriented policing instead of a lack of communication between various services. Often animal related calls are first identified to local law enforcement. If there is a law enforcement response they may then kick the call back to animal services to handle, but without certain enforcement power to fully carry on with the case the system may then bog down between those and other agencies that are needed to respond.

All responders need to be appropriately trained in their own disciplines, but also need to have the ability and philosophy to communicate as partners to help the victims they are responsible to protect. For many situations responded to there is an interconnection and the trick is to get responders that are already doing their jobs to talk with one another. In short, there needs to be better communication between agencies on interconnected cases and concerns.

The animal welfare or protection movement has managed to move laws nationwide on animal cruelty forward, but still according to the ASPCA study less than 30 percent of law enforcement officers are familiar with the penalties. There needs to be more awareness incorporated into police training and Dr. Lockwood advocates making animal cruelty training a standard part of law enforcement training.

While likening animal cruelty training today to the same lower level domestic violence training for law enforcement officers was at a point in times past, Dr. Lockwood wants to see a standard recognition for animal cruelty training similar to what domestic violence training has become. For law enforcement officers domestic violence is now more widely recognized for the true crime it is, but recognition of animal cruelty as part of an officer’s everyday psyche still has a long way to go.

Dr. Lockwood believes a multi-faceted approach to animal cruelty is needed if we are to be successful long term in fighting animal cruelty. This approach would encourage the following to take place:

The development of decent laws to address animal cruelty;

Persuade the public to report the animal cruelty they see by teaching them what the law is and who to call;

Train police officers how to respond to complaints of animal cruelty, explain why they should respond and to emphasize animal cruelty complaints should be taken seriously;

Train veterinarians how to document animal cruelty;

Educate prosecutors on how to effectively prosecute animal cruelty cases; and

Educate judges to take animal cruelty cases seriously and to make sound recommendations.

The ultimate goal is to set up greater involvement by law enforcement in recognizing animal cruelty and animal cruelty investigations. For example, Dr. Lockwood pointed to the high level of recognition by police of animal hoarding as a real concern. This recognition is a major step forward from even five years ago.

Animal cruelty is something that continues to invade our sense of right and wrong and desire to protect those four-legged souls we love. In a mere three-month period (between March 12 and June 14, 2010), according to the ASPCA study, “. . . there were 9,552 animal cruelty stories (non-wildlife) visible in print and online media outlets in the US . . . Nearly 300 animal cruelty stories reported on the link between acts of animal cruelty and violence on humans. Overall there were more than 109 million opportunities to see reports that those who have committed cruelty on animals are significantly more likely to carry out violence on another human being.”

The need for mandatory training nationwide for animal services, animal control, humane law enforcement officers, or whatever the given name in a local jurisdiction is long past due. Diana Culp, fellow Examiner and former director of education for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), is an advocate for training but also realistic in her thinking. She asks how certification could be made mandatory if there are not widely available programs?

Ms. Culp is correct, but whether the solution is for the animal community to develop training locally, seek regional cooperation, ask for help from the state or rely on national animal organizations to supply a curriculum with appropriate input particular to a specific jurisdiction is a concern that should be raised as a priority issue within the animal community and the governmental community that is ultimately responsible for the health, protection and well-being of both the two and four-legged citizens it serves.

Just like training police officers before they hit the street fresh with their new found responsibility, and adorned with badges of enforcement power, animal services officers should be provided with standard professional training so they too can bear the heavy responsibility their community places on them to appropriately and successfully protect and investigate animal related matters.

Training should not be considered a luxury item in an agency or organization’s budget, because it is a necessity. As citizens we need to encourage this and make sure to hold our local governments accountable to provide the resources necessary to government agencies or contracted organizations (on their behalf) to provide the community with professionally trained animal services personnel and law enforcement officers who can identify and respond to animal cruelty.

For more information on the ASPCA research study, please contact Emily Schneider at emilys@aspca.org or (212) 876-7700 x4575.

Do you care about animals? Would you like to find a new job, or need a job? Listening to the news I would think the economy is coming back, but not when I talk with a lot of people around the country. Making a living still seems to be a challenge for most. Many people are very unhappy doing the work they are doing everyday. They have passions and desires that are not being fulfilled. Others are out of work and say they want to find “anything” because they need the income.

This is the perfect time to evaluate what is really important to you, what your passions are AND help animals at the same time.

If you are out of work, or would like to do something else, this is the best time to open the doors for the kind of work YOU want to do. Do you know what you’re really passionate about? Most people have no idea. Don’t think in terms of income but what kinds of things get you really excited and leave you happy and fulfilled when you are finished. It could be ANYTHING:

1. Walking in the woods

2. Doing crossword puzzles

3. Meeting new people

4. Caring for animals

5. Gardening

6. Talking on the phone

7. Reading

8. Traveling…..the list goes on and on

Recently I’ve had a number of friends ask me to help them figure out what they should do, they are not happy doing what they are doing, or they got laid off and fear they won’t find a job in their industry.

If you know what you’re passionate about, you can use that passion to help animals and open doors for your next career. Yes, CAREER, not job. The animal organizations, and charities, around the country need help now, more than ever before. Funding has dried up so they can’t hire the people they need. They also can’t afford to buy the food and supplies needed to care for the animals. Everyday I get requests from these organizations for volunteers and donations.

Right now you are asking yourself, “How can helping an organization help me”? It can, in MANY ways. You meet new people who might open the door to your next position. You also get to do the things you are passionate about. It’s a great way to find out if it’s something you want to do for a living. If so, you can put the experience on your resume. Most people have only worked in the field they have been trained in, but that is not what they love doing.

Here are some ideas for you to think about:

1. Walking and caring for animals at a shelter (if you like being outside)

2. Help the staff with ideas about how to raise money and supplies (doing crossword puzzles)

3. Feeding baby animals or holding ones that are afraid (caring for animals)

4. Cleaning up and landscaping the facility (gardening)

5. Making calls for supplies, donations, volunteers, etc. (talking on the phone)

6. Research and help find new ideas that can benefit the organization (reading)

7. Animals and supplies need to be transported to other locations (traveling)

These are only a few ideas. I could go on for quite sometime. There are also a lot of animals that need to be fostered until a permanent home can be found. They can be cats, dogs, ferrets, iguanas, pigs, etc.

What kinds of animals do you like?

1. Tigers

2. Dogs

3. Cats

4. Birds

5. Horses

6. Monkeys

7. Deer

8. Pigs

There are organizations caring for any kind of animal you can think of, all over the country. All of them need help. You can Google the kind of animal you want to help with “rescue” or “shelter”, then your area. (Ex: ferret shelter Florida) You will most likely find something in your area. If not, call or email the ones that pop up. The animal community is very small and we all help each other the best we can.

I hope that this post will inspire people to find their true passion, and use their passion in a way that will fulfill them personally and help animals that have a lot of needs. At the very least, you will open doors by meeting other people who might know a company that needs a position filled with someone who has your qualifications.

The holidays are a wonderful time of year; friends and family visiting and an abundance of new toys for your pet. Those annual holiday items we think are beautiful and peaceful are viewed as toys by your dog and then a menace when they ingest it. To make sure that your holiday runs smoothly, here are a few tips to dog proof your house during the holidays. These suggestions should be used for other your other pets as well, like cats and ferrets.

Everyone loves the holiday lights that glow beautifully in the night this time of year; but there is an unseen hazard. Dogs, especially those who are over curious, will find the cords to your indoor and outdoor lights a toy. This is a hazard if your dog chews on the cords, they could expose the wiring which could shock or even electrocute your pet. To avoid this, make sure to tie your cords together and hide them under a sheet or cord cover and check regularly that your pet hasn’t messed with the cords.

The tree looks beautiful to us but to a dog it is covered with lots of toys. All those shiny, glittery balls are great to knock off the tree, then break, and then eat. And once it’s eaten, the problems multiply. The last thing you want during the holidays is a pet with a blocked intestine and in need of surgery. Set your tree off the floor on boxes and cover those boxes with a large tree skirt, and don’t hang ornaments too low where your pet can get to them.

Everyone knows the best food of the year is made during the holiday season. There is a lot of turkey, chocolates, cakes, cookies, and the list goes on. All of these foods are dangerous to your pet. After cooking a turkey, make sure the keep it out of the way where your dog can’t get at it, and when you are finished with the turkey, take the trash with the bones out to a lidded trash can immediately. Dogs love turkey bones which are sharp and can puncture the intestines if eaten. Many meals contain a chocolate treat this time of year as well. Chocolate is a poison to dogs and should be kept out of reach at all times. Keep an eye on your dog to make sure it’s not getting into anything they shouldn’t be.

Dogs react to alcohol just like anyone does. Except, your dog has a low tolerance and can get sick from it. Every year beloved pets die from alcohol poisoning. Don’t let them drink from the punch bowl or the eggnog. Keep it out of reach of your pet.

Holiday plants like poinsettias, mistletoe and holly can be dangerous to pets. Recent studies have shown that the plants are not as dangerous as they were thought to be, but they can still cause stomach upset for your pet. Use fake plants instead, just make sure that your pet doesn’t eat the fake flowers which are also dangerous.

Dogs, like humans and all other living organisms, need food. The right food is important, it makes your dog look, act, and feel better. The wrong foods can upset their stomachs, give them gas, make them appear unhealthy, or even be fatal. Here is some information to help you decide what foods are best for your dog.

Dogs should be maintained on dog food. Whether it be dry or wet food or a mixture of both. There are many dog food companies out there and all of them want you to purchase their food. But which is right for your dog. The first rule about dog food; look on the back of the package at the ingredients. If it starts with anything including the word “meal”, this is a poor food. Good foods will always start the ingredients with a real meat like chicken, lamb or beef.

Many people like to feed their dogs people food. If you know what is good and bad, then it’s ok. But where does that hazy gray line come in? The second rule about dog food; if you shouldn’t eat it, neither should your dog. Giving your dog the scraps at the end of the meal is not good. These scraps are pieces of fat, bone and unedible material, your dog doesn’t know that, but relies on you to feed him appropriately. Some of these scrap foods can make your dog overweight, cause intestinal blockage, or gastroenteritis.

So what can you feed your dog off the table that won’t raise your vet bill? Start with some vegetables. Third rule about dog food, always feed your dog raw or frozen plain vegetables. This means no canned vegetables and no vegetables marinated in butter or other tasty sauces. Good foods are broccoli, carrots, green beans and cauliflower. The downside to the tasty goodness, the gas. Broccoli and cauliflower are known to cause caustic gas. When it comes to meat, feed them steak, chicken or pork, as long as it is not covered in seasonings.

Foods for dogs that are absolute no-nos; well there’s a few and they have serious consequences. Chocolate is poisonous; it causes gastroenteritis and can lead to death if not dealt with quickly. Garlic, onions and shallots are all poisonous. If you season your meats or vegetables, make sure they don’t contain these ingredients. Here is a link to foods poisonous to your pets.http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030

If you notice that your pet got into something they shouldn’t have, call your vet immediately. Let your vet know if you notice any changes in bowel movements, eating and drinking habits, playfulness, lethargy; these symptoms will help your vet pin point your pet’s problem and help to solve it sooner.

The oil disaster in the Gulf is far from over. Even though it’s no longer in the news, there are a lot of environmentalists and experts in engineering, science, commerce, culture, socio-economic studies and research wanting to educate the public about solutions to sustainability issues.

Deltas and estuaries are among the most productive and the most threatened ecosystems on earth. As such, there is an unprecedented urgency for collaboration across deltaic regions of the world to share technology, develop intellectual capital and build knowledge about sustainable deltaic systems.

“The greatest tragedy that we face is not the oil spill itself, but our own willingness to believe that our wildlife and way of life is back to normal. This is a great disservice to our country, our people, and those who will be here long after we are gone”. Roger Ivens Defenders of the Coast

I want to bring more information to the pubic so people can feel empowered to do things in their own lives that will have a positive impact. Education and awareness is the key to opening these doors. On November 18th there will be an event in New Orleans. It is called, “Celebrating Critters and the Coast”. It will benefit two non-profit organizations on the front lines. They help the wildlife and companion animals affected from this situation.

Even if you can’t attend this very special event in New Orleans, you CAN be part of it. Go to our website homepage and click on “Celebrating Critters and the Coast” If you buy a ticket to the event, you will be entered into the contest to win a 1 week stay in Costa Rica or Steamboat Springs. You pick the one you want. They sleep 6-8 people and valued at $3500.

The Humane Society of Sarasota County received a dog named Buddy. He is an American Bulldog Hound Mix. He is so cute and sweet. I met him at the Ron Gordon Golf Tournament , raising money for the Humane Society, last weekend. He is dying from cancer and has only 2 years to live. I understand he lived a very hard life and now he has a wonderful home waiting for him. Since I met him, he has gone to a foster home while transportation plans are being made to get him to his forever home, in the Houston, Tx area. There is a sanctuary there that is like hospice for animals.

We would like to find a way, preferably the least stressful, to get Buddy from Sarasota to Houston. It seems that driving would be the best. If not, a direct flight with an airline that would keep him, comfortable and safe. If you can help, please let me know. I can connect you with his foster mom.

I want to thank every one in my database for all you do for all of the animals in this world. Your actions make a big difference!

UPDATE….Buddy is taken care of. He will be driven to his new home and there have been almost $2,000 raised to pay for his care. Thanks for your support!

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, also known as ascorbic acid. The vast majority of animals and plants are able to synthesize their own vitamin C. Among the animals that have lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C are: humans, primitive primates, small rodents including guinea pigs and capybaras, as well as flying mammals like bats.

In 1753 Captain Lind of the British Navy showed that the disease scurvy, which was common in sailors, could be cured by giving them lemons, limes and oranges. Ascorbic acid is readily absorbed from the intestine and stored in the liver, adrenals, pituitary and corpus luteum. Foods that contain Vitamin C include, but are not limited to: fresh fruits, mainly citrus, like lemons, limes, oranges, tomato, pineapple and papaya. It is also found in fresh vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and beans. Amla is one of the richest sources of Vitamin C, either fresh or dried.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps the metabolic process in the body, which includes: tissue growth and repair, adrenal gland function, healthy gums and wound repair.

It is NOT manufactured by our bodies so it must be obtained by diet or supplements. Most Vitamin C is lost through urine.

Smoking and alcohol decrease Vitamin C in the body. Canning and prolonged cooking destroys most of the Vitamin C in foods. Certain medications as well as depression will decrease Vitamin C.

The animals that are similar to humans when it comes to inability to synthesize Vitamin C, are also prone to scurvy and other health issues if they don’t get it in their diet.

Many veterinarian’s say that cats, dogs and horses benefit from having Vitamin C. There is also controversy as to whether dogs and cats should have Vitamin C. Some say it can cause issues like kidney stones. Please talk with your veterinarian before giving your animal any supplements. It has been shown to help with stress in animals.

The makers of the vitamin supplement, Emergen C, have generously offered to donate hundreds of thousands of packages to animals. The packages are at their expiration date, so they are asking that they go to animals. If you have a shelter, or organization, with animals that need Vitamin C, please let me know. I can get the Vitamins to you.

There might also be other Vitamin C packets available that can be distributed to missionaries and people who need these Vitamins.

Please contact me if you have interest in knowing more and getting some of these Vitamins.

Fall is approaching and that means lots of fun things to do. I am working on an event that will take place in New Orleans. It will benefit the wildlife, pets and other animals that have been affected by the oil disaster in the Gulf. Once I get more specifics finalized, I will be sending out information. Stay tuned…….

If you, or someone you know, has an event coming up, please send me the information. I will place it on this post, so please come back to see new announcements, anywhere in the world.

Here is information on an event that will take place on Saturday September 18th.It is an adoptathon put on by the Humane Society of Sarasota County.If you are on the West Coast of Florida, this is an event you might want to check out. Click here for a website.

If you like golf and animals, this is the event for you. Saturday, September 25th in Sarasota, FL. It’s the Ron Gordon golf tournament. It’s always a fun event, which also happens to be in Sarasota, Florida.You can contact Ron at: nuts4golf@verizon.net

If you are in the Fairdealing Missouri area on Saturday Sept. 4th you might want to stop by and say hi to these guys. They are having an adopt-a-thon. This shelter is always saving animals, even ones that are dumped on the road and no longer wanted. Any help you can give them is greatly appreciated. Click here to learn more about them.

Saturday, Oct. 2nd in Cookeville, TN. there will be the 7th annual, walk-in-the-park. It will be a lot of fun for everyone involved, including the animals. Click here to learn more.

Saturday, October 2nd at the Loose Screw Bar & Grill, 45 Church Street , German Valley, IL . 7pm to 1 am. Join the fun at this Benefit party for Critter Camp Director Beth’s 50th Birthday to raise funds. Click here for more info.

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri is hosting their annual Bark in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 25 at Kiwanis Park in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. This event helps raise money for the shelter. Click here for more info.

This is a very inspiring video that my mom sent me. I wanted to add it since it is uplifting and shows how connected humans are with animals. Please enjoy!

Unfortunately, there are tragedies as well. Below is an email I got today. We have had a number of really bad storms in my area. These are stories about Greyhounds. PLEASE KEEP YOUR ANIMALS SAFE!!!!

A greyhound got out because the storms had weakened the fence. Please check out your fenced areas if you plan to leave them out unsupervised. This female grey pushed open the weakened area and was missing for what seemed an eternity for the frantic parents looking for her. She was found in the river, but safe.

Other stories…… not so good an ending:

1) 2 greys get out of a gate left open – one is hit on a busy highway almost immediately – $ 2,000 later pinned and recovering. The other was found after 5 days of intense searching and she had been hit twice and required over $ 5,000 of treatments and huge help from the kennel owner

2) weaken fence with another 2 greyhounds getting out both get into a pond and 1 is bitten by a gator, but miraculously survives. Has had 2 very expensive procedures and now has a permanent pin. Let’s make these learning moments to help us all protect our seemingly invincible greyhounds.

Hurricane Preparedness Tips for your Pet

Now that we are into the heart of hurricane season, we would like to remind everyone to make sure and include your pets in your hurricane evacuation plan. If you need to evacuate and cannot take your pets, make arrangements for them ahead of time at a local shelter or boarding facility. Never leave pets at home alone.

Be Sure to:

Prepare adequate supplies of food, medications, and water for your pet. Also, be sure to have medical records, leashes, collars, food bowls, bedding, toys, trash bags for waste, and a crate/carrier ready. Because sometimes our pets can get separated from us micro chipping is also a great idea. Many shelters are overwhelmed with found pets with no ID and a micro chip would get them back to you safely and quickly.

I just returned from a trip to New Orleans. I attended the Gulf Coast Strategic Planning Conference, Assisting Animals in Need. I met a lot of wonderful people who care about animals and the world we live in. I realized, by the end of the weekend, just how connected we all are in the world. This situation was manmade and will have consequences that are far reaching. I see it as a wake-up call.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) had been invited to make a presentation at the conference. The Coordinator of NOAA’s “Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program” was going to attend. The morning of the conference they pulled out and said they would not send a replacement. They would not say why the pulled out.

Billy Nungesser is a very generous man and cares about the public! I told him that I wanted to go out in the marshes and see what is going on, with my own eyes. Billy called P.J. Hahn ( Director, Coastal Zone Management Dept.) who arranged for me to go out on the boat. Billy told me that anyone else who attended the conference could join me. We had about 15 people go out on Billy’s boats.

Jeff Dorson, Executive Director for The Humane Society of Louisiana, said he was glad he was able to go out and see what is happening in the Gulf. The very first thing we saw when we arrived at the dock was shocking!There was a very large area of land that was fenced in with a sign saying: “Warning, Do Not Enter, Hazardous Material”. PJ said that was the area where booms and equipment were housed. He said it was so full that you could barely walk in there. Had I arrived 6 days earlier I would have seen it myself. Unfortunately, BP is taking everything out of the region and nothing was left, except a few booms. (See below).

I did see tar balls floating in the water. They are NOT gone. I also saw oil slicks on top of that water.

Land for Housing booms and equipment

Once we pulled out of the dock we saw, immediately, how slack the care for this oil situation had become. Booms were not in place. Many of the booms that were in place were covered in oil. We also saw a number of BP workers on their boats but they were not doing any work. Here are a few pictures from the first canal we went down, the first 5 minutes of our day.

Dirty Booms

Missing Booms

Small Wake from Boat causes Water to go Above and Below Dirty Booms

Workers on Boats, NOT Working!

More Workers

The oil disaster has been a challenge in many ways. Since the oil leak began, BP has been adding dispersants to the water. The first 2 months they used Corexit 9527. There is proof that this product is harmful to animals and humans. After 20 years, the people affected by the Exxon disaster are still getting sick and cancer from the use of this dispersant.The past 2 months BP has been using Corexit 9500. They say they don’t think it is as hazardous, but who wants to find out the hard way?I was naive about dispersants before my trip. I found out that it works like soap when you do your dishes. It breaks down the oil over time by depleting the oxygen. I have also had people contact me about “natural” options that can be used like the dispersants and the won’t harm animals or people. I have a friend who is doing private testing of the water and dispersants. I hope the results will shed light on how damaging the product really is. I am not sure anyone really knows what is safe, and will work, since nothing like this has ever happened before. Most of the other products I had people tell me about sound good but have never been tested for something as large as this. Using products in the Gulf of Mexico is not the same as testing them in a swimming pool.

Today I was informed that there are still 100 birds A DAY being treated for oil exposure. The media has us thinking that the worst is over. From what I have seen, and heard, I think we have a long way to go. PJ told me that he has seen a number of oiled birds that needed help ASAP! PJ calls the 800 number that NOAA and Wildlife and Fisheries tell you to call. He said they ask you questions like:

1. What restaurant are you close to?

2. What are the cross streets?

He tells them he is in the middle of a marsh with an oiled bird and then he gets no response. If he can’t get an oiled bird helped, with all of his connections, how can we trust that this oil situation is being taken care of properly?

Pelicans

Pelicans on Cat Island, A National Wildlife Refuge

Pelicans on Cat Island

More Birds on Cat Island

There are reports that the oil has gone as far as 5,000 Ft. under the water. The concern, how this oil will impact the whole food chain.The seafood, (Ex: shrimp, crawfish, crabs) live on the floor of the sea and eat plants/ dead creatures. This seafood is the perfect meal for small fish. The small fish are eaten by larger fish which can be eaten by whales, sharks, seals, etc. Humans eat most of these creatures. If the creatures at the bottom of the chain are impacted, everything and everyone can also be impacted. The water all over the world is connected. It’s the land that is not connected. Once the water in Gulf begins to move, so will the oil that is still there.

If all of this alone were not bad enough……When I was out on the water I saw a number of flat boats and air boats deep in the marshes. There is NO REASON for those boats to be there.When people do things like that they are destroying nests, babies, the marsh land itself not to mention spreading the oil around to other areas. The boats should stay on the outside of the booms. I saw one area where these boats had been driving around. The marsh area was completely flat and dead. Because of this, the marsh land is being lost.

Marsh Land affected by the Boats

One of Several Boats in the Marsh

When I was growing up in New Orleans it really bothered me when I was told, “the coast is eroding away and the area I was fishing in would eventually be gone”. Right now Louisiana is loosing 1 Football Field of land every 45 minutes. There are ways to restore the land AND protect the area from storms. The challenge is that it takes about 6-8 years to get the approval from all of the authorities: EPA, Wildlife and Fisheries and NOAA.

I addition to these challenges, the families in the area are having a hard time making a living. One night I went to to have dinner at a favorite seafood restaurant in the area. I was surprised to see the place was nearly empty. The owner told me that before the oil disaster you had to wait to get a table. Now, they are not sure how they will stay open. They had to let a lot of their staff go. Now the owners are the waiters, bus boys and run the business. Katrina destroyed their restaurant, they rebuilt and opened 6 months ago. People in the community were so happy to have the restaurant back in business. Now they are not sure they will be able to stay open because people are afraid to eat the seafood. I had shrimp, oysters and soft shell crabs. It was wonderful!

I saw firsthand how this crisis is affecting the people who live off the land (fishermen), the retailers (restaurants, markets), commercial real estate owners and attorney’s, etc. I also heard a number of stories from people who can hardly feed themselves, much less their pets. They had to take their loving animals to the pound.The shelters are so full that they can’t keep up with the demand. Many of these animals are losing their lives because they don’t have a place to live. The Humane Society of Louisiana had to move their rescue from Louisiana to Mississippi after Katrina. The shelter was destroyed. They have over 200 animals and only 6 workers. It is a no kill shelter and they have so many people wanting to place animals with them. Mississippi was suppose to be a temporary location, until they could find new land and rebuild in Louisiana. They still don’t have the funds to buy the land and build the shelter.

Two weeks ago I was going to have a fundraiser in Sarasota Florida. I wanted to raise money to help the wildlife and other animals affected by the oil disaster and bring more awareness worldwide. I had to postpone it. Now that I have been home, in New Orleans, I think I might do the fundraiser there.

This situation has a far reaching affect on everyone, everywhere. The first step is to find alternatives to oil. The US consumes so much more than any other country in the world. In addition, we import most of it from other countries, like Canada. It’s not like we are buying our own oil. The world we live in is amazing! This planet has been through so much and keeps on going. It has the ability to regenerate itself, no matter what the human population does to it. Unfortunately, regeneration takes a lot of time and it is being destroyed much faster than it can be repaired. I hope this is a wake-up call and the world can learn from this situation. Let’s take steps to improve the way we live. Humans are so intelligent. We are so advanced in medicine, technology, etc. At the same time we seem to destroy things faster than we are advancing.

I was really glad I got to go to New Orleans. I realize how much that place means to me. It is one of the most unique, interesting, culture rich places you will ever visit.

I have been very discouraged watching the news and reading articles about the oil disaster. Every time I turn around I see, or hear, more negative. My goal is to empower people, not bring them down.I have been making calls and doing research to find ways that people can help with the oil disaster. The information I get varies from source to source. I got a call from Jeff Dorson today. He is the Executive Director for the Humane Society of Louisiana. He told me about a couple of groups that are actually qualified to help the wildlife in the Gulf. Even though we have a long way to go, there are people who are able to make positive changes, if we help them.

I found out that there is so much red tape when it comes to helping these creatures. You need the proper training, an organization has been approved and the list goes on. Otherwise, you are not allowed to do anything with the animals. In many ways that could be good. We want to be sure the people dealing with these animals know what they are doing. After all, this needs to improve the quality of life for the wildlife, not make it worse. There are people who have had experience but don’t have the specific training needed to be approved for this mission. Then there are those who are doing it for other reasons and it’s a good thing they are not allowed to be close to the wildlife.

Below are some wonderful organizations that could use your help. You can give your time as a volunteer, send money or make calls/ send emails to officials that have the authority to make the changes needed.

1. Operation Here to Help, is a joint effort launched by the Humane Society of Louisiana and Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary to help wildlife adversely affected by the oil spill.Clearwater’s staff and volunteers are trained and certified wildlife rehabilitators who are working at the triage sites and administering direct aid to captured birds. They are providing logistical support by utilizing dozens of their volunteers who are transferring oiled birds directly from wildlife agents to the recovery centers. They’re also providing real-time information to state and federal agents by providing them with photos, notes, and coordinates. They are taking volunteers out on boats, contacting legislators, and more.

Operation Here to Help has staff and volunteers that have been out to the barrier islands in Barataria Bay, near Grand Isle, twice during the past several days. In the six total hours they spent surveying the area on boats, they spotted a mere three agents with nets with two large plastic dog carriers in the back of their boat. Meanwhile, they witnessed hundreds of oiled birds in distress. These trips made it clear to them that more aid is necessary to account for the significant number of birds currently in need of assistance.

That’s why they set up “Operation Here to Help”, a program of the Humane Society of Louisiana, with the goal of surveying the affected areas and providing coordinates to state and federal agencies. Although red tape still prevents them from handling oiled wildlife ourselves, They can provide critical information to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries so that they can most effectively mobilize their extremely limited manpower.

The facts are sobering. They were told by a wildlife agent that, for the entire Louisiana coastal area, there are a mere 100-150 officers licensed to rescue oiled wildlife, on shifts from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM and they do not work at night. These are incredibly inadequate numbers. Additionally, most of the barrier islands, including Cat and Four Pass Bayou, which are rookeries and home to tens of thousands of water birds, have already been contaminated with oil. The utilization of booms as buffers is extremely ineffective and dates back to the 1960’s. That is why their team wants to be “here to help” direct officers to areas where their work will have the most impact.

They have identified several ways that each of you can help them save more marine life and wildlife, whose lives hang in the balance. Their goal is to complement state and federal agencies in order to achieve the results they want. As one of Louisiana’s most dedicated humane organizations, they cannot sit back and let a handful of government workers and BP contractors respond with disgraceful inadequacy to the worst disaster in modern history to hit our precious wetlands. Here are their plans; they need your help to implement them:

Advocacy:

Call Robert Barham, Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife, and ask that he assign more agents to the capture of wildlife and ask him to ask for reinforcements from other states or other agencies if needed. Please use their reports from the front lines as evidence that much more help is needed. Call 1-225-765-2800. Remember that there are between 100-150 agents out in the entire Gulf Coast assigned to wildlife capture. These numbers are not sufficient for the task at hand. In the six hours they have spent surveying the areas on boats, they have only seen three agents with nets on one occasion. They had two large plastic dog carriers in the back of their boat, both empty. At the same time, they also saw hundreds of birds in distress.

Information Gathering:

They will be going out in chartered boats during the next several months to obtain first-hand information and photographic evidence of the mistreatment of marine life. If you would like to join them, please write an email to contact us at stopcruetly11@gmail.com. Cost of trip per person: $60.00 for a three-hour trip. They are currently scheduling one to two trips a week, out of Venice and Grand Isle.

Information Sharing:

They will be hosting a two-day conference in New Orleans at the end of July. They intend to invite representatives from BP, the Coast Guard, the White House, members of Congress or their staff, social justice groups, animal protection and environmental groups to attend, speak, and listen to one another with the intention of developing and implementing short- and long-term goals. They will send out additional announcements during the next several weeks. They plan on visiting the coastline on the second day as a group.

Fund-raising

Funds are needed to keep their chartered boats in the water, to underwrite their upcoming conference, and to help mobilize volunteers from around the country. Please be as generous as possible. Each of you can help by donating through their PayPal account at: http://www.humanela.org/bpoilspill.htm.

65% of those proceeds from their website link will go to Clearwater Wildlife Sanctuary, whose staff and volunteers are caring for the wildlife. They have pledged to support them. The remaining 35% will go to the logistical support their group is providing. You can also send them a donation by mail to: The Humane Society of Louisiana at P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 7017

We can’t afford to wait.The damage done by this spill demands that we ramp up our efforts as rapidly as possible.

They know we could be building 20 to 30 miles of reef a year, and promote hundreds of acres of seagrass and marsh recovery in the process. Within 3 to 5 years, they could complete 100 miles of oyster reef and at least 1,000 acres of seagrass and marsh habitat. That’s conservative — it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that a properly designed restoration could support 10,000 acres of seagrass and marsh.

Rebuilding such a system will have huge benefits beyond kick-starting the oil spill recovery:

If designed properly, oyster reefs will slow, and in many cases, halt the massive erosion that continues to carve into Alabama shorelines.

Reefs will help to filter the loose sediment that turns Mobile Bay a dark chocolate every time the wind blows.

Light-loving seagrasses return, tying down still more mud.

And in the quit eddies created by the reef, marshes will get a toe-hold and spread rapidly.

Best of all, re-creation of these reefs, seagrasses and marshes will result in an explosion of life. It won’t just be old timers who remember what it was like to go floundering in the seagrasses along the shores of Mobile Bay:

Harvest of white shrimp, once Mobile’s prized catch, will almost certainly rebound.

Crab habitat will increase dramatically.

Tens of thousands of young speckled trout, redfish, sheepshead and other Gulf game and food fish will once again find a place to grow and thrive.

Their Louisiana-based staff–already working on existing Coastal Louisiana restoration efforts before the spill–was deployed to help with the initial response. They have been joined by national staff, affiliates in the region and a growing network of volunteers.

They believe strongly they have an obligation to find out what is happening, share this information with the public and do everything they can to help wildlife survive this tragedy.

You can learn more about their “Search and Rescue”, how they are raising awareness and what they are saying on behalf of wildlife. Click here.

If you have dogs or ferrets, this is your lucky Friday. It has been a challenging week for me. I have had a number of issues come up regarding dogs and ferrets. I had to do some research and contact other rescues and shelters for help. It’s amazing how animal people all stick together and help each other so animals can have a better life. Thank you!!

One challenge I had were ferrets with fleas. I never had ferrets with fleas so I was not sure what to do about them. I know they are delicate animals and it can be deadly if they are treated like dogs and cats for a flea problem. Here are some of the things I found out:

1. A flea condition is 100% fixable. I spoke to rescues who told me that ferrets die from fleas. They are such small animals and it doesn’t take long for them to be sucked dry. The fleas are coming in from a source. Once you find out what the source is, you can correct it. Ferrets, being indoor animals, should not have fleas.

2. If you have dogs or cats that come in and out you can give them Capstar. You have to get it from a veterinarian. This should not be given to ferrets, unless you just adopted them and need to get the fleas off this one time. (Talk to your vet about dosage).

3. You can also get an 8oz. spray bottle. Put about 2 tablespoons Skin-so-soft with 1 teaspoon alcohol (to cut the oil) and fill with water. You can spray that on the dogs and cats and rub it in. This will kill fleas. Again, be very careful not to use this too much with ferrets since they have very sensitive skin.

The one recommendation I got over and over again, get everyone and everything out of the house. Fumigate the whole house and have the yard treated. While you are gone, get all of the fleas off of all the animals. When you return, you are starting new. Make sure all of the animals stay in the house. If they must go outside, make sure they stay in your yard, if possible. Give them Capstar before they go out to be sure they don’t get any fleas. The ferrets should no longer have a flea problem, ever.

I also had people asking me about the proper food they should be feeding their dogs. Since I have not had dogs in years, I was not sure what to tell them. I have a friend, Greg Martinez, DVM who just wrote a book called, “Dr. Greg’s Dog Dish Diet”. That book has a wealth of information when it comes to feeding your dog. It gives you histories of different breeds, what different breeds eat, how different foods affect different dogs, etc. Did you know dogs are not suppose to have any corn or beef?

Here are a few tidbits I got from the book that I thought were interesting and I wanted to pass along:

1. A Tablespoon of olive oil or canola oil on the food daily, or an egg yolk in the food three or four times a week, can have a wondrous effect on health.

2. Never give your dog chocolate. That goes for ferrets too. Ferrets should not have any sugars or fruit.

3. The closest ancestor to a dog, the wolf. 99.8% of a dog’s DNA matches the wolf. To feed dogs well on a diet that resembles the natural diet of a wolf, make sure the mix of ingredients and nutrients are similar.

4. Wild game provides the wolf with a high-water, low-carbohydrate diet that is also high in protein and fat. With the exception of a few of the newer diet; canned dog foods most closely match the wolf’s natural diet.

5. Ounce for ounce, canned dog food has about a third the calories of dry food.

6. A healthier diet may actually prevent, decrease and often cure many of the common chronic problems in dogs.

These are the top 10 claims for Veterinary Pet Insurance:

A.Ear Infections

B. Skin Allerfies

C. Pyoderma (hotspots/ bacterial skin infections)

D. Gastritis/Vomiting (stomach upsets)

E. Enteritis/Diarrhea

F. Urinary Tract Infections Benign

G. Skin Tumors

H. Osteoarthritis

I. Eye Inflammation

J. Hypothyroidism

7.Allergies in dogs are caused by three common allergen groups:

A. Fleas

B. Pollens, grasses and molds

C. Allergenic food ingredients (most often wheat, beef and corn)

8. Wolves keep their teeth clean by chewing on the bones of prey animals. In that tradition, you can give your dog raw or frozen chicken theighs, smoked pork bones or beef knucklebones, and they’ll gnaw the tartar away. PLEASE, be careful what you give your dog. They should be able to chew NOT eat bones. The book goes into detail about this.

Then I had questions about adopting dogs. The best timing in the world because I had information sent to me from “The Camping Dog”.

It specifically talked about adopting a shelter dog. They say one of the best gifts you can give yourself is adopting a shelter dog. Are shelter dogs right for everyone? Absolutely not. You never really know what you’ve got until you get your new friend home. And odds are even that your dog will need specialized attention and care for health or behavior issues for some period of time. Unless you’re willing to be patient and work with your pup, you have no business having a dog at all – and especially not a shelter dog who may well have had traumatic experiences.

There is nothing more rewarding than watching a dog blossom into their true personalities. Seeing a dog learn how to play for the first time is a delight. And watching them grow as they learn new behaviors and have new experiences is so much fun! And they do thank you for it in so many ways!

If you would like to know the questions to ask yourself if you are thinking about adopting a dog click here.